Gate-latch.



V PATENTED JUNE 7, 1904. A. MURRAY. GATE LATCH.

APPLIOATIOH FILED FEB. 23 1904..

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES ALEXANDER MURRAY,

Patented June 7, 1904.

OF GOLSPIE, CANADA.

GATE-LATCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 761,983, dated June 7,1904.

Application filed February 23, 1904. Serial ITO-194,689. (No model.)

T0 at whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MURRAY, a subjectof the King of GreatBritain, residing at Golspie, county of Oxford, Province of Ontario,Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inGate-Latches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full,

clear, and exact description of theinvention, art to 1 such as willenable others skilled in the which it appertains to make and use thesame.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements ingate-latches; and it has for its objects, among others, to provide aapplicable to gates of that class which are adapted to swing open fromeither side, and embodying a spring-bar designed to automatically engagewith the keeper as the gate is swung into its closed position.

A further object in View is to so construct and arrange the parts thatthe strain will be taken oif of the hinges of the gate, as when a personsits on the gate, and also to prevent the raising of the gate by a pigor other animal getting its nose under the same. For this purpose thespring latch-bar is held within elongated loops in bolts or the likeheld to the end post of the gate, and these eyes are so dis-' posed thatthe keeper engages the bar between said eyes. Hence the weight upon thegate will not sag it far, because the upper eye will engage the keeperand take the strain from the gate and its hinges, and if an animal getshis nose under the gate and tries to raise it the lower eye will engagethe under side of the keeper, and thus prevent the gate from beingraised to any appreciable extent.

Another object is to provide for ready vertical adjustment of the keeperwhen necessary by the shifting of the latch-post by frost or otherwise.For thispurpose the keeper is provided with vertical wings havingelongated openings through which pass its securing means affixing it tothe latch-post, and

loosening of these securing means permits of adjustment up or down ofthe keeper to accommodate it to the variations in position of thelatch-post. The keeper may also be adjusted outward from the latch-postif necessary.

simple and cheap and yet efficient gate-latch Other objects andadvantages of the invention will hereinafter appear, andthe novelfeatures thereof will be specifically defined by the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings,which, with the numerals of reference marked thereon, form a part ofthis specification, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation, withportions broken away and parts in section, showing the application ofthe invention. Fig. 2 is a face View of the keeper removed. Fig. 3 is atop plan view of the keeper.

' Like numerals of reference indicate like parts in the different views.

Referring now to the details of the drawings, 1 designates thelatch-post set in the ground, and 2 is the keeper, which is adapted tobe secured to the said latch-post upon the face nearest the end of thegate. This keeper is of novel construction and comprises in a singlecasting or element the upper and lower extensions or wings 3 and 4, eachof whiclris provided with a vertically-elongated opening 5," and thelatch-bar-receiving notch 6, which is formed in the lateral rib orprojection 7 on the body of the keeper. The outer face of this rib' orprojection is beveled or inclined in opposite directions from the saidnotch for a purpose which will be evident. The bottom wall of this notchis by preference rounded, as seen best in Fig. 3.

" The keeper is secured to the inner face of the latch-post 1 bysuitable means, as the bolts 8, which pass through the elongatedopenings 5 and through the post, receiving upon their outer endssuitable nuts 9, as seen clearly in Fig. 1. It will thus be seen thatwhen it is desired .to adjust the keeper, as may be necessary by theheaving or shifting of the latch-post, all thatit is necessary to do isto loosen the bolts 8 and shift the keeper up or down, as occasion mayrequire, and then tighten the bolts. 'If it should become necessary tothrow the keeper out farther from the face of the post, the bolts areloosened and a piece of wood or other material placed between the postand the back of the keeper and the bolts again tightened.

. 10 represents a portion of the gate which is designed to be hinged inthe usual manner, and to the end post 11 thereof the spring latch-bar isfastened. In this instance the said spring latch-bar12 is secured at itslower end to the said end post of the gate, as by the bolts 13, as seenin Fig. 1. This latchbar is offset, as at 14:, a short distance aboveits point of fastening to the gate-post and its upper or free end isdesigned to engage in the notch of the keeper to hold the gate locked inits closed position, the said bar riding upon the rib 7, the inclinesthereof aiding in the necessary movement and the spring of the barforcing it into the notch when coincident therewith, as will be readilyunderstood.

The upper end of the latch-bar is confined within the loops or eyes 15of the bolts 16, which pass through the end post 11 of the gate, nearthe upper end thereof. These loops or eyes permit of the necessarymovement of the latch-bar and yet limit its movement. They serve afurther function which is of importance. They are so disposed that thelatch-barengages the keeper at a point between these two loops or eyes,as will be readily understood from Fig. 1, and by reason of this shoulda person sit on the gate the upper loop will engage the upper face ofthe rib of the keeper, and thus prevent downward movement of the gate,while, on the other hand, should a pig or other animal get his nosebeneath the gate and try to raise it the lower loop or eye would contactwith the under side of the rib on the keeper and the gate could not beraised to any appreciable extent.

From the above it will be seen that I have. devised a simple and cheapyet eiiicient and durable gate-latch, and while the structuralembodiment of the invention, as herein disclosed, is what I at thepresent time consider preferable it is evident that the same is subjectto changes, variations, and modifications without departing from thespirit of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages. 1therefore do not wish to be restricted to the details of constructionherein illustrated, but reserve the right to make such changes,variations, and n'iodilications as come properly within the scope of theprotection prayed.

\Vhat is claimed as new is" The combination with a gate and a springlatch-bar secured to the end post thereof at its lower end, and boltsheld in the said end post near its upper end and having horizontalelongated loops loosely receiving thefree end of the latch-bar, of alatch-post and a keeper secured to the face thereof adjacent the endpost of the gate and having elongated vertical openings and a rib withnotch disposed in a plane between said loops, as and for the purposespecified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

ALEXAN DER M U R RA Y.

W' itn csses:

A. E. BALL, 1. J. MCKAY.

